OREANDA-NEWS. After operating a series of charter flights, Cargolux Airlines International S.A. will inaugurate regular scheduled services between Luxembourg and Zhengzhou, the capital of Chinese province Henan, on 24 April.

The inaugural flight marks the beginning of the partnership between Cargolux and its new shareholder Henan Civil Aviation and Investment Co., Ltd (HNCA) that will own a 35% stake in Europe’s leading all-cargo carrier after the closing of the share transaction at the end of April. Customers will benefit from the transformation of Zhengzhou’s Xingzhen International Airport into a major national and international air cargo and logistics hub as part of China’s national development plans for its central region. Henan is the most populous province in China, with over 100 million residents.

Cargolux intends to operate at least four weekly flights to Zhengzhou and will start with scheduled weekly flight CV9744 on Thursdays and flight CV9746 every Saturday, leaving Luxembourg at 10:00 pm. Both flights will be routed via Baku and arrive at Zhengzhou Xinzheng International Airport at 8:40 pm on the following day. The return flights leave the capital of Henan Province at 10:40 pm as CV9755 and CV9757 on Fridays and Sundays, respectively. Arrival in Luxembourg is scheduled for 6:40 am on both days.

Zhengzhou is ideally located in central China with daily road feeder services to coastal cities such as Beijing and Shanghai and reaches far inland providing faster and more economical services to inland cities such as Xi’an, Wuhan, Chengdu and Chongqing.

The implementation of regular air cargo services between Luxembourg and Zhengzhou is part of the dual-hub strategy centered on Luxembourg’s Findel airport in Europe and on Zhengzhou’s Xinzheng International Airport in Asia. The dual hub strategy is a major pillar of the Commercial Cooperation Agreement between Cargolux and HNCA.

The start of the new China services, in addition to continuing and expanding its existing flights to Beijing, Shanghai and Xiamen, will enable Cargolux to strengthen its market position in the Asia & Pacific region by taking advantage of the trade movements generated by one of the world’s most dynamic and fastest developing economies.